Fire-extinguishing device



PATENTED FEB. 16, 1904..

0'. BROWN. FIRE EXTINGUISHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24; 1901.

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No. 752,327. I PATBNTED FEB. 16, 1904.

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FIRE EXII'NGUISHING. DEVICE.

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Patented February 1. 6, 1904.

PATENT OEEIOE.

CHARLES BROWN, OF CHICAGO, "ILLINOIS.

FIRE-EXTINGUISHING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,327, datedFebmary 16, 1904:.

Application filed July 24, 1901.

To wZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES BROWN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Extinguishing Devices; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates more particularly to a fire-extinguishing device to be established in a building of any desired construction and of any number of stories.

Heretofore a water-service pipe extending to the top of the building has been provided with hose connections for each 'floor. It frequently happens, however, that fire occurs on different floors of a building at the same time, thereby necessitating the use of water from said pipe on several floors at the same time. When this occurs under the system heretofore used, the opening of the pipe at the lower or intermediate floors acts to reduce the pressure at the upper floor or'floors, thereby seriously decreasing, if not entirely destroying, the efficiency of the service.-

The object of this invention is to provide an absolutely reliable and efiicient means for extinguishing fires on whatsoever floor or floors they may occur, said means tobe at all times under the control of" an operator or engineer within the building and affording ready access from the exterior to enable ready connection to be made by the city fire service.

The invention embraces many novel features; and it consists of the matters hereinafter described, and more fully pointed on and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section through a building provided with a device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a frontv view of the outer annunciator and hose connections. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section through one of the compartments, showing the hose in position upon its support. Fig. 4* is a side elevation Serial No. 69,591. (No model.)

of the hose-coils. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one of the hose-supporting hooks. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 7 illustrates a device for automatically opening the matic view, partly in section, of the automatic door-opener, light, and thermostat.

In the drawings, A indicates the outer wall of the building; B, the basement-floor; B B B &c.,the succeeding floors above the same. B indicates the roof. Said building may be of any desired construction. Extending from said basement-floor upwardly for the entire height is afireproof casing, herein shown as cylindric, and which may, if preferred, be constructed of sheet metal or other desired material, and which, as shown, provides a sepalaterally-extending branches C G, which extend partly around the casing, and is also provided with a valve C adapted to regulate the water-supply to said branches. From said branches valved pipes (indicated by c 0 a &c.) extend upwardly within said casing and terminate one above each of said floors in a fitting adapted to afford connection with one or more hose D, a sufiicient length of which is provided at each floor within said casing to extend to any desired point on said floor. As shown, two leads of hose are connected, one on each side of the service-pipe, and supported, as before described, on each side of said compartment. Any desired means for coiling, supporting, or storing said hose within the compartment may be used. As shown, howor other operator.

compartment and coiled successively around upper and lower hooks. Said hooks are preferably spring-controlled and comprise bellcrank levers d, pivoted on lugs d on an inner transverse wall of said compartment. One arm of each bell-crank 03 extends outwardly in position to support the fold or loop of a hose. The other arm extends vertically and is engaged by a spring d of sufficient tension to normally support the weight of the hose and to hold said bell-crank lever in its supporting position. A slight pull on the hose, however, is sufiicient to pull the supporting ends of said levers downwardly against the tension of the spring, thereby permitting the coils of hose to be released therefrom. Ladders E, as shown, are provided on the interior of each compartment on each floor, secured on the side walls of the casing to facilitate the hanging, suspending, or coiling of said hosesections, as before described. Each-of said compartments is provided with a door provided with an electrical door-opener of any desired construction, as herein shown. However, for convenience of illustration said opener comprises an electromagnet H, the an mature h of which is provided with an elongated and laterally-turned arm 72/, which is pivoted to the wall of the casing H. Said arm h contacts with one arm of'a'pivotedlever I, on the other arm of which is carried the latch 6, adapted to be normally held in engagement in a suitable catch in the door-jamb by means'of a spring 2".

At convenient points about the building and above each floor thermostatic fire-alarms J are secured, which may also be of any desired or familiar type and areelectrically connected with the door-opening device of the compartment on that floor and with an annunciator F,

indicating the various floors and located in the basement convenient of access to. the engineer An electric light or lights K may be provided in each compartment, also in the same circuit with the opener, annun,

ciator, and thermostat, in such manner that when the temperature in the room rises sufficiently to actuate the thermostat the door automatically opens, the light is turned on, and the annunciator indicates the floor where water is desired. For the purpose of enabling connections to be made with said interior pipes from without the building pipes G extend through the side walls and connect, respectively, therewith. Pipes G Gr G &c., extend upwardly along or adjacent to the wall and are provided with inner hose'connections, so that, if preferred, water may be directed Each of therefrom to any part of any floor. said pipes is provided with a hose connection on its outer end, which extends through the wall, and an annunciator F, corresponding with the annunciator F, and which is also connected in the circuit before described, is located adjacent to said outer ends andacts to annunciator when the alarm is given.

indicate to an observer without the building the location'of the fire, thereby enabling the connection to be made with the desired pipe.

The operation of my device is as follows: The pipes 0 0' 0 &c., may preferably at all times be filled with water under a desired pressure from pumps of'any desired kind under the control of the engineer in the basement. Upon the temperature rising in any part of the building sufficient to actuate the thermostats J the alarm is sounded in the engine-room, and both annunciators indicate the floor where water is needed, and the door of the compartment on the said floor is opened automatically and the lights turned on. A slight pull on the hose releases the same from its supports, and the same may be dragged to the point where the water is to be delivered. Should it be desirable, the valves in all of said pipes except that leading to the desired floor may be closed, thus .diverting the full pressure to that floor. Obviously, 'if preferred,'all of said valves may ordinarily be closed when the system is not in use, in which case it will only be necessaryfor the engineer to open the valve for the pipe indicated on the Should the alarm occur at night when no engineer is in attendance, the city fire department may connect with the indicated pipe on said wallannunciator and direct water to the desired floor, as before described. Obviously it is not essential that a casing, as described, continue for the entire height of the building. Instead separate compartments may be provided on each floor, as indicated in Fig. 1, and

'thesame may be in vertical alinement or othengine-room and also in the side wall to indicate the point where the pressure is to be utilized. In this construction pipes G G, &c., lead from said side-wall annunciator both to said stand-pipe and to hose connections on each floor, thereby permitting a fire engine without the building to-be utilized in maintaining the pressure in the stand-pipe or permitting the hose connections at the side wall to be utilized, as before described.

- Obviously many details of construction maybe modified without departing from the principle of my invention.

'1 claim as my invention 1. A plurality of service-pipes adapted to permit fluid to be conducted therethrough and terminating respectively one on each floor of a building or the like, a fireproof compartment on each floor of the building adapted to contain said end of a pipe and leads of hose connected with said end and adapted to conproof compartment located on each floor of a building, and adapted to contain the upper end of a fluid-conducting pipe, the other end of bination with a main service-pipe of valved.

pipes connected therein and terminating one above each floor of a building, a fireproof casing surrounding each of said delivery ends of pipe, leads of hose therein connected with said pipes and means in the engine-room for automatically indicating the location of a fire for opening the door of the compartment and illuminating said compartment.

4. Ina building a plurality of valved service-pipes terminating one at each floor of the building, means under the control of the engineer for directing fluid through any or all of said pipes, a plurality of pipes extending inwardly from the side wall of the building and connected with the first-named pipes thereby permitting connection to be made from without the building and annunciators located in the outer wall and in the engine-room and acting automatically to indicate the pipe to be connected.

5. A buildingprovided with a fireproof compartment on each floor, valved service-pipes, one of which terminates in a hose fitting in each compartment, a pressure-main with which said pipes are connected at their lower ends, a plurality of lengths of hose suspended in the compartment and connected in the hose-fitting, pipes extending through the outer wall of the building and communicating each with the servicepipes, other pipes extending through the wall and provided with independent hose-- fittings within the building and automatic means for indicating the pipe in which pressure is desired both at the outer ends of said outwardly-extending pipes and in the engineroom of the building. 7 7

6. In a device of the class described, afireproof compartment designed to inclose the end of a service-pipe for water or the like, a plurality of supporting-hooks arranged transversely of the compartment near the top thereof and adapted to yieldingly support a plurality of folds or coils of hose connected with the service-pipe, a door for the compartment, and automatically-operated means for opening the oor.

7. In a building, a fireproof compartment on each fioor'adapted to receive and inclose the end of a service-pipe, hose-fittings on said end adapted to permit a plurality of leads of hose to be secured thereon and a transverse partition in the compartment having adjustable spring-hooks secured thereon near the top thereof and adapted to support successive layers or folds of hose, a door in said compartment' adapted to be normally locked and means operated by a thermostat for opening the door.

8. In a building, a metallic tubular casing extending through the floors thereof and provided at each floor with a grating separating the same into individual compartments for each floor, a plurality of service-pipes in said casing terminating one above each floor in a hose-fitting, a pump connected with the lower ends of said service-pipes, pipes extending through the outerwall ofthe building and having hose-fittings on their outer ends and connecting at their inner ends with said service-pipes, an annunciator adjacent to the pumps and one on the outer wall and means operated by a thermostat for indicating simultaneously on each of said annunciators the floor at which pressure is desirable.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES BROWN.

Witnesses:

Louis J. DELSON', OnARLns .W. HILLS. 

